Obstacle Racing
Obstacle racing is taking off in Australia not only becoming a popular challenge for people at all levels of fitness but also being a fun and interesting way of raising money for worthy charities such as Legacy, Canteen, Cancer Council, Red Cross, McGrath Foundation, and Soldier On, just to name a few.
Depending on your level of fitness you have many races to choose from. Shorter distance races such as the Warrior Dash, Mud Run, Tough Bloke Challenge and The Stampede are great entry level obstacle races with distances ranging between 5-10km. If you’re up for a bit more of a test you can take part in the Tough Mudder which is a 20km race with a total of 21 obstacles including electric shocks and ice water submersion, don’t let this intimidate you as the ethos behind this obstacle race is camaraderie and teamwork so there is always someone there to lend a hand.
Undoubtedly though, The Spartan Race series is the toughest of them all. Offering the 7km Spartan sprint, 14km Spartan super and 21km Spartan beast. There is a race however, that surpasses this distance. Patient Ben Clark is in training for the Spartan Race-Ultra Beast. A challenge not to be taken lightly. A 42 kilometre obstacle race designed to push the body to it’s physical and mental limits. Apart from running the marathon distance through bushland, the Spartan Race involves swimming (across rivers, creeks, lakes or ponds), climbing ropes and monkey bars, rolling distances along the ground (under barbed wire), making your way across balance beams, throwing spears at targets and carrying heavy objects such as sandbags up hills. Failure to complete an obstacle on the first attempt results in a penalty of 30 burpees. As you could imagine all of this comes with a cost to the body. The Spartan Race is not for the faint hearted. It is a real test to see what the body can endure. Obstacle racing is so rewarding and allows you to work towards your own fitness goal.
Ben was a representative rugby league player as a junior and as such has recurring shoulder complaints. This combined with a love of waterskiing, snowboarding and rigorous (sometimes torturous) training sessions takes its toll on him. To keep his body in peak condition, Ben regularly visits Health In The Bay (for Chiropractic and Massage Therapy) for injury prevention, injury management and post workout/race recovery.
For more information on obstacle races you can visit www.obstacleracers.com.au
To make an appointment to see any of our practitioners here at Health In The Bay, call us here in Neutral Bay on 9904-1333 or contact us here: Contact.
